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Title IX turns 45 today. Its impact goes beyond women playing sports.

As Title IX celebrates its 45th anniversary, one impact of the law is clear: Millions more girls now grow up playing sports , a reality that seemed impossible in the early 20th century. But the law encompasses much more than providing equal...

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Title IX turns 45 today. Its impact goes beyond women playing sports.

Haley Samsel
Published 2:33 p.m. ET June 23, 2017

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Annie Clark (left) and Andrea Pino, survivors of sexual assaults at UNC-Chapel Hill, in April 2014. The two were among the first to file Title IX complaints against their school with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, and they have helped organize a movement of other student survivors and activists around the country.(Photo: Mark Dolejs, USA TODAY Sports Images)

As Title IX celebrates its 45th anniversary, one impact of the law is clear: Millions more girls now grow up playing sports, a reality that seemed impossible in the early 20th century.

But the law encompasses much more than providing equal athletic opportunities for girls and women. Title IX touches every aspect of the educational system in ways that are not always apparent to the law's target population: students.

How Title IX works in practice

Title IX essentially bans discrimination on the basis of sex within federally funded schools, including universities. The law states that "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Because almost all educational institutions, both public and private, receive some sort of federal funding through federal financial aid programs, they must abide by Title IX.

Title IX has been most commonly associated with the increase of women's participation in sports throughout their educational careers. The impact of Title IX on women's sports cannot be overstated: the NCAA says the number of female college athletes is at an all-time high, and the numbers of girls playing high school sports has swelled from fewer than 300,000 in 1974 to more than 3.1 million in 2012.

“The benefits will be in what happens after the playing days are over, namely more women in leadership positions in our society,” Big East commissioner and former WNBA president Val Ackerman told USA TODAY's Christine Brennan. “Whether doctors, lawyers, engineers, CEOs, senators, university presidents, tech titans — the pathways for women will keep easing because sports can pave the way."

Although Title IX has been historically linked to women's participation in sports, it applies to all aspects of education, from student health insurance and housing to educational programs and course offerings.

Most recently, Title IX has become associated with the enforcement of policies regarding sexual assault and harassment on campus.

Know Your IX, a "survivor- and youth-led organization" focused on ending rape and dating violence, states that Title IX requires schools to "combat sex discrimination in education."

"To make sure that all students, regardless of their gender identity and expression, have equal access to education, schools are required to prevent and respond to reports of sexual violence," their website states.

Students from over 200 schools have filed more than 300 Title IX complaints alleging the mishandling of their sexual assault or harassment cases by school officials. The complaints have sparked shocking revelations about how schools respond to sexual assault reports, namely at Baylor University and Cornell University.

Still more progress to be made

Despite the gains made under Title IX, advocates say there is still room for improvement. For instances, before Title IX was implemented in 1972, over 90% of women's collegiate teams were coached by women. Now, they coach fewer than half, according to a report released by the NCAA earlier this week. And of those female coaches, about 86% are white.

Happy anniversary Title IX! Thanks for giving women the oppty to compete on the court & field. We won't rest till we are equal everywhere👊🏼

Perhaps the report's most staggering finding is the disparity in spending between men and women's athletics programs. The NCAA found that Division I athletic departments on average spend twice as much on their men's programs, while spending in Divisions II and III is more equitable.

This revelation comes after professional female athletes have led public fights for equitable pay in sports like hockey and soccer.

"While it is very encouraging to see progress has been made over the last 45 years with respect to the federal law Title IX and opportunities for women, the data also shows that there is still much to be done to increase equity and diversity, and to create a more balanced scenario in intercollegiate athletics for our student-athletes and administrators,” Bernard Franklin, NCAA executive vice president of education and community engagement, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, sexual assault survivors and their advocates are pushing the Department of Education to continue enforcing the Obama administration's policies regarding sexual assault on campus. Critics have said that those policies stomp on the rights of the accused, especially during the campus disciplinary process.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has so far kept mum about how the department plans to enforce Title IX in sexual assault cases.

"I look forward to understanding the past actions and current situation better and to ensuring that the intent of the law is actually carried out in a way that recognizes both the victim, the rights of the victims, as well as those who are accused," DeVos told senators during her January confirmation hearing.

Title IX 'changed the trajectory of American women'

Despite continuing arguments over the implementation of Title IX for both athletic programs and sexual assault cases, the law's deep cultural influence is undeniable, especially to women in sports.

Donna de Varona, an Olympic gold medalist and Title IX advocate, told Brennan that the law has transcended sports to impact generations of women.

#TitleIX protects transgender students like @GavinGrimmVA from being discriminated against on the basis of his gender.

"The passage of Title IX 45 years ago changed the trajectory of American women, thus transforming our culture,” she said. "We found our way into space, onto the Supreme Court and into the high echelons of politics. In the sporting arena, we became visible affirmations of what is possible, offering up strong, confident role models for future generations."

Haley Samsel is an American University student and a USA TODAY digital producer.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.